Assignment (MSc) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In an integrated crop-livestock production farm, the profitability and sustainability of farm
production is dependent on the crop rotation strategy applied. Crop rotations have historically
been applied to maintain long-term profitability and sustainabiliry of farming production by
exploiting the jointly beneficial interrelationships existing among different crop types and the
animal production activity.
Monocrop (specifically wheat) growers in the Swartland area of the Western Cape are
struggling to maintain long-term profitability and sustainability of the crop production,
challenging them to rethink about the introduction crop rotation in the production planning.
By making proper assumptions, this paper develops a mixed integer linear programming
model to suggest a decision planning for the farm planning problem faced by an integratedcrop-
livestock production farmer. The mathematical model developed includes crop
production, dairy production and wool sheep production activities, which permitted the
consideration of five crop types within a crop rotation system. By assuming that a farmer
uses a cycle of at most three years, the crop rotation model was incorporated in the composite
mixed integer linear farm planning model.
In order to demonstrate the application of the mathematical farm planning model formulated,
a case study is presented. Relevant data from the Koeberg area of the Swartland region of the
Western Cape was applied. For each planning period, the model assumed that the farm has
the option of selecting from any of 15 cropping strategies. A land which is not allocated to
any of the 15 crop rotation strategies due to risky production situation is left as grass land for
roughage purposes of the animal production. Results of the mathematical model indicated that farm profit is dependent on the cropping
strategy selected. Additionally, animal production level was also dependent on the crop
strategy appl ied. Furthermore, study results suggest that the profit generated from the
integrated crop-livestock farm production by adopting crop rotation was superior to profit
generated 1'1'0111 the farm activities which are based on monocrop wheat strategy. Empirical
results also indicated that the complex interrelationship involved in a mixed crop-livestock
farm operation play a major role in determining optimal farm plans. This complex
interrelationships favour the introduction of crop rotation in the crop production activities of
the farm under investigation.
Crop production risk is the major risk component of risk the farmer faces in the farm
production. In this study, risk is incorporated in the mixed integer programrnmg farm
planning model as a deviation from the expected values of an activity of returns. Model
solution with risk indicated that crop rotation strategy and animal production level is sensitive
to risk levels considered. The Results also showed that the incorporation of risk in the model
greatly affects the level of acreage allocation, crop rotation and animal production level of the
farm.
Finally, to improve the profitability and sustainability of the farm activity, the study results
suggest that the introduction of crop rotation which consist cereals, oil crops and leguminous
forages is of paramount importance. Furthermore, the inclusion of forage crops such as
medics in the integrated crop livestock production is beneficial for sustained profitability from
year to year. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Wisselbou is baie belangrik om volhoubare winsgewindheid te verseker in 'n geintegreerde
lewendehawe I gewasverbouing boerdery in die Swartland gebied van Wes-Kaap. "n
Monokultuur van veral koring produksie het ernstige problerne vir produsente veroorsaak.
In hierdie studie word 'n gemengde heeltallige liniere prograrnmerings-model gebruik om te
help met besluitneming in sulke boerderye.Die wiskundige model beskou die produksie van
kontant- en voer-gewasse (5 verskillende soorte) asook suiwel- en wol/vleis-produksie
(beeste en skape) .Daar word aanvaar dat die boer "n siklus van hoogstens 3 jaar in die
wisselbou rotasie model gebruik ..
'n Gevallestudie word gedoen met behulp van toepaslike data van 'n plaas in die Koeberg
gebied. Die model aanvaar dat die produsent 'n keuse het uit 16 wisselbou strategic .Resultate
toon dat winsgewindheid afhanklik is van die strategie gekies en dat wisselbou beter resultate
lewer as in die geval van "n monokultuur.Dit wys ook dat die wisselwerking tussen diereproduksie
en gewasproduksie baie belangrik is in die keuse van 'n optimale strategie.
Die risiko in gewasverbouing is die belangrikste risiko factor vir die produsent.In hierdie
studie word risiko ook ingesluit in die gemengde heeltallige model, naamlik as 'n afwyking
van die verwagte opbrengs-waardes .Die model toon duidelik dat gewasproduksie en
lewendehawe-produksie baie sensitief is ten opsigte van die gekose risiko vlak.
Die studie toon ook dat 'n wisselbou program wat die produksie van graan (veral koring)
.oliesade asook voere insluit belangrik is vir volhoubare winsgewindheid Die insluiting van
klawers (bv "medics") is veral belangrik hier.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/49965 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Ghebretsadik, Amanuel Habte |
| Contributors | De Kock, H. C., Visagie, S. E., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Science. Dept. of Mathematical Sciences. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 134 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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